Mini satellite developed by UAE students to launch this month
MeznSat will measure greenhouse gases over the UAE
MeznSat was funded by the UAE Space Agency and built by engineering and science students at the Khalifa University and American University of Ras Al Khaimah (Aurak).
MeznSat’s initial lift-off was scheduled for the end of 2019, however it was delayed twice and will now blast into the skies on a Soyuz-2b rocket from Russia on September 28.
It is the third miniature satellite – known as a CubeSat – constructed in the Emirates.
MeznSat will use its payload, the Argus 2000 spectrometre, to collect data on greenhouse gas emissions over the UAE, specifically carbon dioxide and methane concentrations.
It will also study the red tide phenomenon in the UAE, which is when a species of algae called dinoflagellates grows out of control. Out of the thousands of species, a few dozen of them can be extremely toxic to people and marine life.
Who will launch it?
The UAE has hired the services of Exolaunch, a German commercial firm that offers launches and deployment solutions for nano and small satellites, to send MeznSat into space.
MeznSat will take off in a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket from Russia, along with 14 other nanosats on board.
The time of the launch has not been confirmed yet.
